


Napoleon at Large

by Fran1632



Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-22
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-08-16 16:10:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8108878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fran1632/pseuds/Fran1632





	

Napoleon at Large

 

 

Napoleon Solo was loosing steam. He'd been running for almost 6 blocks with little rest. He had to get off the streets soon. He turned down an alley and stopped to catch his breath; ducking quickly into a doorway and pulling out his communicator.  
"Open channel D. Illya are you there?"  
"Yes Napoleon."  
"Good! I'm in need of a little help. Our feathered friends are flocking to me and I need to meet with you and share some valuable Intel. Meet me at the fountain. He disconnected before Illya could say anything more. 

Napoleon cut down the alley and crossed into the next block. He went another four streets then switched back and headed for central park. He entered the park and kept off the paths. He circled the park once then began a second round when he spotted several THRUSH goons walking in a search pattern. He cut through a copse of trees and bushes coming out to the left and 3 yards away from his target.  
He couldn't see Illya. But he did see more THRUSH goons coming from the opposite direction. He moved quickly to the fountain circling to the other side so as not to be seen. He climbed over the edge and into the water. He reached the statue in the center of the fountain and wedged his cigarette case into an opening. Making sure it was secure he waded back out and headed away from the fountain. Pulling out his communicator he contacted Illya and told him where to find the case. 

He exited the park and slipped into an alley. He tried the doors but found them locked. He was about to head back to the street when three goons appeared at the top. Napoleon sighed and shook his head. He didn't think he'd be able to put up much of a fight. He looked for some weapon and that's when he saw the manhole. He quickly dropped down and wedged open the heavy lid and pushed it up. He was in the process of climbing in when he heard a shot. Three more followed, ricocheting off the lid and walls. Suddenly Napoleon felt a searing pain across his forehead and he fell into the manhole; into the grimy water below.

It was the smell that woke him. The strong pungent odour of garbage, rotting food and human sweat. It filled his head and made him nauseous. He tried to open his eyes but they seemed to have a mind of their own and stayed shut. He sat up and immediately regretted it. His world spun around and tilted. Even with eyes shut. He was sick to his stomach. Grateful for the container that was pushed under his mouth. A hand rubbed his back and put a glass of water into his hand.  
"Easy there fella" a gravely voice said,” Take it easy. You been out like a light for 2 1/2 days. Betcha got one son of a bitch of a headache." The voice turned into a cackle then a cough. Napoleon felt the body next to him move away. He tried to open his eyes again and finally succeeded. He took a deep breath and regretted it. The smells caused his nausea to return with a vengeance. He held his head in his hands until his stomach settled and the pain in his head was merely a dull roar.

The gravely voice belonged to King Jim. A homeless man who had carved out a small niche in an abandoned subway station. No one else shared the space because it was too far off the beaten path. He liked it that way. He sat watching Napoleon look around; trying to figure out his surroundings. His gaze finally stopped on the old man in front of him. He eyed him speculatively; the old man doing the same.

Jim finally broke the silence.  
"You a long way from home mister?" he paused. "You got a name?"  
"Yeah......" Napoleon stopped. He thought and couldn't think of his name. He frowned and looked at Jim.” I don't know."  
"Ya don't know your own name?"  
"No.....I can't remember."  
"Huh! Maybe that nasty scrape and bump on your forehead caused something to go wrong upstairs." Jim said pointing to his own forehead. Napoleon reached up and felt a makeshift bandage tied around his head. It was soaked with blood.  
Well, that explained the headache.  
"Ummm.....where exactly am I?"  
"You're in what use to be the 18th St sub way station."  
"Under ground?"  
"Yeah......that bump knocked all the good sense out of ya didn't it?"  
Napoleon just gave the man a sour look and stood up. And promptly fell down. Jim jumped up and saved him from falling face first into the floor. He helped him lay down and brought a cold cloth for his head. Napoleon thanked him and gingerly placed the ice on his forehead. The cold felt good. He closed his eyes while his headache receded. When he opened them it was much darker and King Jim was nowhere to be found.\

Napoleon slowly sat up trying to avoid a re-enactment of the first time he moved. His headache had dulled but he still had nausea. He still couldn't remember anything beyond his waking in the subway station. He suddenly checked his pockets for a wallet or identification. Hoping there would be something to provide answers. But there was nothing. Not even change. He suspected King Jim had probably helped himself to anything of value he may have had.

He was in the process of looking for something to drink when he heard King Jim approaching. The man was singing at the top of his lungs but was not very good. He finished with a flourish when he was in front of Napoleon.

"Well you're back with the living I see. What you looking for?"  
"Ah….I was looking for something to drink. I didn't men to be nosy."  
"S'alright. I ain’t got nothing worth stealing. Anything of use to you anyway. How's the head? I got something might help take some of the pain away." Jim fished in his pocket and pulled out a large bottle of aspirin and tossed it to Napoleon. Napoleon had never been so glad to see pain relievers.

Illya Kuryakin had collected the cigarette case containing the information Napoleon had stolen from THRUSH. It had been right where Napoleon had said it would be. But the man himself was nowhere to be found. Two hours had passed since he had last spoken to his partner and he was getting more concerned by the minute. He was co-ordinating a search of the surrounding area in hopes of finding a clue to Napoleon's whereabouts or better yet Napoleon. It was unlike his partner to simply disappear without a signal of some sort. Even the communicator's tracking signal had not been activated. This worried Illya the most. Activating the tracker should have been the first thing his partner had done.

Miles Bennett starred at the two men in front of him. They were suppose to be his top men yet had been bungling painfully through the day . First the satrap had been infiltrated by an UNCLE agent-granted it had been their top man, Napoleon Solo. Solo had managed to get his hands on a list of top THRUSH agents that would be gathering for a summit meeting in one week. He had also gotten the map of the location where it would be and all their security measures. It was too late to change things around. The summit was being co-ordinated with the launch of THRUSH's plan to disrupt the US power grid and hold it for ransom. Now it was hanging by a thread and Napoleon Solo was in the wind.

King Jim had gone exploring while his guest had caught a nap. He may not have been the smartest man but he knew that the man he had rescued didn't belong on the streets. He went back to where he had found him.

He had come across Napoleon as some of the street people were helping themselves to his belongings. By the time he had cleared them away, Napoleon was missing his shoes, jacket and wallet. They had roughed him up some and with that head wound he couldn't really fight back. Solo had barely made it back to Jim's "home". He had passed out and Jim had half carried, half dragged him to the pallet he used to sleep on. For two days and then some Jim had watched over Napoleon hoping that he wouldn't die. When he finally came to, Jim had been relieved.

He had hoped to find a clue as to who the stranger was. He came empty He had then made his way to the health bus. There he pocketed a large bottle of aspirin while waiting for the doctor to check his cough. It was the same song and dance and he accepted the medicine the doctor gave him and left. His last stop was at the shelter he frequented. He got some sandwiches and soup to take away and headed home.

 

When they received a ping from Napoleon's communicator everyone stopped  
what they were doing and held their breath. Illya started to triangulate the location of the pings. His fingers flying over the console. Mr Waverly stood behind him and watched the screen. As suddenly as it had come the pings stopped. We've got it! There was a collective sigh of relief  
"Well done Mr. Kuryakin! Waverly said and patted his shoulder.

"Thank you sir. Permission to take a team and go find Mr. Solo?"

"Yes indeed. Go get him and bring him home. Lord only knows what trouble he has caused."  
Illya was on the intercom and talking to section two. He called in a team and was out the door. Waverly watched with satisfaction. He was reminded again of why Illya was so good at his job. If anyone could find Solo, Illya would. He would turn over every rock, every brick every trash can if need be. He just hoped that they would come back in one piece.

Illya and his team found the alley empty. Or so it seemed. There was a shuffling noise half way down near some trash bins, The men approached the area with caution, guns drawn. They found boxes tied together and heard someone talking.  
The boxes suddenly were heaved aside and the men found themselves face to face with a large homeless man. Everyone froze. Illya looked over the man and noticed a shinny communicator in the pocket of his checkered shirt. Without thinking, he made to grab it, and was suddenly two feet off the ground. The others focused their guns on them and backed away.  
"Everyone stay calm!" Illya spoke softly. He looked at the giant and smiled. 

"Hello. My name is Illya. I noticed you have the same pen as I do." He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out his own communicator. He showed it to the man and was suddenly dropped when the man grabbed the other pen.. The man was examining the communicators when one of them sounded off. He dropped it and Illya quickly retrieved it.  
"Kuryakin here."  
"Ahh Mr. Kuryakin have you anything to report?" Mr. Waverly's voice seemed to echo in the alley. Illya let out a sigh and was about to answer when a large hand tried to grab his communicator from him. He pushed it away and held it up to keep the curious man away. After some fumbling the man simply picked up Illya and turned him around so he could look at what he was doing.  
"Well sir, we have not yet found Mr. Solo but we did find his communicator. I believe however that the tracking device was activated by someone other than he."  
"Have you questioned this individual?"  
"Not yet."  
"Well what are you waiting for? Get to it man." Waverly closed off and Illya was left staring at the mountain of a man. He gave a great sigh and got right to the point.  
"Can you show me where you found this?", he asked holding up the pen.  
Without a word, the man walked over to a manhole cover still holding Illya and pointed at the ground. He looked at the stranger and raised an eyebrow which had the desired effect. He was put down. He examined the manhole cover and could tell it had been recently tampered with. He signaled for help to open the cover and was amazed as the big man opened it for him....with one hand.

Illya looked in but could not see anything in the darkness below. He pulled out his flashlight and crouched down and looked into the hole. A hand grabbed him by the neck and a soft voice warned" Careful, you'll fall." Illya looked at the man and thanked him.  
"Just don't want you falling like the other guy. He didn't come back."  
"Is this the man you saw fall in the hole?" Illya asked as he fished a picture of Napoleon from his pocket. The big man took one look and nodded.  
"Yep that’s him. I couldn't get to him before the others. They took away his shoes and stuff. King Jim was real mad. He was yelling loud. He helped him,” he took the picture from Illya and stared at it. "The man was pretty hurt. Bleeding from his head. Lots of blood."  
"You're sure it was this man." Illya asked again.  
"Yep. I knew he didn't belong here. Just like you don’t."  
"I don't?"  
"Nah you got nice shoes and clean hands." The man turned away and secreted Napoleon's picture in his pocket.  
"Wait..." Illya called. "Who is this King Jim you speak of? Do you know where I can find him?  
The big man turned and looked at Illya and the others. Yeah I know where King Jim stays but he don't like people knowing. I'll take you." he pointed at Illya,"But only you!"  
"Alright. Can you take me now?"  
"What do I get for taking you?"  
"Well...ah...what would you like?"  
"Shoes. Nice ones. Like yours."  
Illya looked at his scuffed shoes and shook his head. "Tell you what. You take me to my friend and I'll get you 2 pairs of shoes.....nicer than mine."  
"It's a deal!" The big man held out his enormous hand. :My name is Andrew."  
Illya shook the hand that swallowed his and replied; "Nice to meet you Andrew.”

 

Bennett decided to lead the search for Napoleon Solo himself. He went back to the park and followed the path Napoleon took to the alley. Once there, he was forced to cool his heels across the street as he watched Illya and a large man lower themselves into the sewer. He turned to his own men and demanded to know why they hadn't gone into the sewer after Solo themselves.

"Well boss it's like this," Tom Bartley tried to explain. "We figured he wouldn't be going anywhere when he took one to the head. We figured he'd be done. "

"Well you figured wrong!" Bennett hissed. "Now we'll have to find him before UNCLE does. We can't let them get their hands on that Intel! We know he hasn't been back to UNCLE HQ so we have a chance to get to him before the information gets to Alexander Waverly. We may be able to salvage this fiasco before THRUSH central gets wind of it."

They waited till the UNCLE agents had left the alley then rushed over and down into the sewer. They moved quickly till they caught sight of Illya's flashlight. They followed at a steady pace a safe distance behind and tried to keep from making too much noise. It wasn't easy since they were unable to use a continuous light source.  
Twice Illya stopped and searched behind him but could see nothing in the dark.

Andrew led Illya through a broken wall into a subway tunnel. The white tiled walls glowed in the beam of Illya's flashlight. There was light at the one end of the tunnel ; making it easier to see. They approached what turned out to be an abandoned subway station. They climbed onto the platform and looked around.

Andrew called out; "King Jim!' His voice echoed through the space and back at them. "King Jim! I got someone here that needs to see that guy you helped out yesterday!"

"Andrew." King Jim came out of the tunnel opening where he and Napoleon had been hiding in the shadows. "Why are you bringing a stranger to my place? You know how I feel about my space and my stuff."

"I know, I know." Andrew replied. "But this guy here says he's a friend of the guy and he's here to take him back where he belongs." Napoleon moved out of the shadows and stared at Illya. There was something familiar about him. He had been having flashes of images since he woke up but couldn't get anything solid. When he tried to think harder his head would swim and a great pain would flare up. But he knew that this man who had come looking for him was part of those flashes. Somehow he knew he could trust him.

Illya looked closely at Napoleon. He noticed a slight tremor in his hands and he was very pale. He looked like he was in mild shock. He looked at the wound on his forehead and wondered what lay underneath the bandage that was there. He decided it would be best to get him back to medical as soon as possible. He took a step towards him and Napoleon moved away uncertainly.

"Napoleon it's me. Illya. Your partner."

King Jim came forward and stood beside Napoleon.  
"He doesn't remember anything. Not his name or what he does for a living. Minds a clean slate. He gets a headache if he tries to force himself to remember.”

Bennett could hear the murmur of voices down the tunnel. He tried to understand the words but he wasn't close enough. He had his men hold back as they approached the hole in the wall. Bennett himself leaned into the hole carefully and spied what was happening in the other area. He saw Illya talking to Solo and another guy and took aim.

Illya jerked forward and Napoleon caught him before he hit the floor. He felt the warm blood coming from the wound in his back covering his hands. King Jim yanked at his arm to get him moving and together they dragged Illya behind the end of the platform. Laying Illya down. Napoleon saw his gun in his shoulder holster and without thinking grabbed it and began shooting at Bennett and his men.

King Jim watched in fascination as Napoleon handled the gun like a pro. He was shocked when one of the other men fell to the ground. Bennett and the other Thrush quickly made their way back to the other tunnel.

Jim clapped Napoleon on the back and grinned. "Atta way to show em. You handled that gun like it was an old friend." Napoleon looked down at his hands and suddenly they began to shake. Images flashed in his head and he tried to understand.

"They'll be back." came a voice from the ground. Illya lay on his side panting and tensed with pain. The two men examined the wound. There didn't seem to be a lot of damage but he was loosing a lot of blood. Andrew joined them and knelt by Illya. He looked at the wound then opened a pack he had brought with him. He pulled out medical supplies and began administering first aid.

Illya hissed as he cleaned the wound and applied a pressure bandage. He pulled out a syringe and small ampoule filled with golden liquid. Napoleon grabbed his hand and asked, "What are you doing? What is that stuff? He can't take penicillin." Andrew looked at him curiously and Jim was a little confused.

"How do you know he can't take penicillin?" Jim asked. Solo just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

Illya strained to rise to a sitting position. "Because he is my partner and has to know so he can deal with the problem if it arises." It was like the words stole the rest of his energy and he fell back down, Andrew plunged the needle into his thigh and slowly depressed the plunger. Whatever it was didn't take long to get into his system. His breathing relaxed and the tension in his body slowly faded away.  
"Morphine." Andrew said. "We need to........" He was interrupted by yelling from the tunnel. Bennett was back with re-enforcement. Andrew picked Illya up and charged ahead. They passed through yet another hole into a large chamber.  
Here they were surrounded by water, falling from four huge pipes, into a large basin below. Andrew crossed the space on a walkway that to Napoleon didn't look too healthy. Jim pushed him forward and reluctantly he rushed across. Andrew had disappeared into a large crack next to one of the pipes. The chamber they had entered was the size of a large bedroom. There was a sleeping place in a corner where Andrew had put Illya. He was in the process of lighting a lantern when they heard Bennett and his men calling out. Offering money to Andrew and Jim if they gave up the two U.N.C.L.E. agents. That got Jim's attention.  
"You work for U.N.C.L.E.?" Napoleon shrugged his shoulders. Andrew stepped closer to them and whispered, "Illya does. He told me this guy was his partner. He was down here looking for him." Jim paced a few feet away then turned.

"Andrew. You keep them here. You should be safe If you have to move head towards the elevator. That's were I'm going. I gotta get there before the guy I need leaves." That said he went to the back of the room and slipped out a hidden opening. Napoleon looked around dazed and confused. Andrew slapped him on the back; almost sending him to the floor with the force of it.

Illya began coming to and Andrew kneeled down next to him and lifted his clothes to get a better look at the bullet wound. He didn't like what he saw.  
The wound was still bleeding though not as hard but it was already puffy and red and bruising surrounded the area. He gentle pushed around the wound until he found the bullet. It wasn't deep which meant nothing serious had been hit. But he had to get it out and the wound closed up as soon as possible. It would be hard to keep infection from settling in considering where they were. Andrew drew Napoleon aside and explained what he was going to do and that he would need his help.

They cleaned up as best they could then got Illya ready. They lay him out on his stomach and Napoleon held his arms. Andrew positioned himself so he could put weight on Illya's legs. All to keep him still while he removed the bullet. Andrew gave him another shot of morphine and waited. As soon as the drug took effect he started.

It didn't take long for Illya to react to the pain Andrew's ministrations were causing. Napoleon held on with all his strength but he still managed to lose his hold twice. He was sweating large drops and his head was pounding. Suddenly Illya made eye contact and said his name and it all came crashing back. He remembered it all. He smiled at Illya and said, "Hold on Tovarish. Not much longer."

"Got it!, yelled Andrew. He held up the bullet and nodded with satisfaction.  
"Hold on to him till I finish stitching him up." But Illya had passed out and they were able to finish and put a clean dressing on it. Napoleon stared at Illya and tried to come to terms with what had happened in the last few days.

He remembered getting the info from Bennett's office and escaping. But he had been seen at the last moment and they had pursued him through the streets of Manhattan. He remembered running from the park after leaving the micro-film on the fountain. And finally he remembered being hit in the forehead by a ricochet and waking up in King Jim's. He shook his head. When things went wrong they sure as hell went all the way. He was still thinking when Andrew shut off the light and moved quietly next to him.  
"What is it?"  
"Those men are back. They're getting closer. They sat in the dark and listened as Bennett and his men's search brought them closer to where they were hiding.  
Time seemed to stand still as noises got closer and closer. Suddenly Andrew bolted and scuffling sounds and a grunt broke the silence. A flashlight was turned back on and Andrew grabbed Napoleon and pushed him towards Illya.  
"We have to move fast." he said as he grabbed the medical kit and helped get Illya up. He rushed them to the back of the room and through the opening that King Jim had used earlier. It led them to an underground reservoir. They skirted the edge of the water until they came to a run off which dropped down some 30 feet.  
"We're going to have to cross here." explained Andrew. "Be careful it's really slippery." He gave Solo his medic bag and picked up Illya and carried him fireman's style. Andrew moved forward and shimmied along the edge of the reservoir where a concrete wall lay parallel with the water. The surface was slippery with algae making it difficult to balance properly. He was almost to the edge when he miss-stepped and Napoleon watched as he turned to get a better footing but lost the battle and fell. The moment felt surreal. Not knowing what to do, Napoleon jumped after them

King Jim had been pacing for what seemed forever. He looked at his watch yet again and swore. "Where the hell is he? He's gotta go home sometime." He turned back and kicked a rock towards the wall, just as a hidden panel opened to reveal Alexander Waverly.

He stood in the doorway and looked at Jim, He stepped to him and held out his hand. "So nice to see you again Jim. What brings you here?"

"I got your guys."  
"I beg your pardon?"  
"I got Napoleon and the Russian guy."  
"Where?"  
"They're with Big Andrew. Hiding from some guys who are involved with  
.....birds?  
"T,H.R.U.S.H" Waverly turned back to the door and stepped into the elevator and pressed the emergency button. Within two minutes a full team of agents were surrounding Waverly. He explained the situation and asked Jim to lead them to where his agents were. 

Within 20 minutes they were in the cavern where Jim had left them.  
It was empty and they had left no clue as to which way they had headed.  
Jim had a pretty good idea where Andrew would go. As they left the space through the back a shot echoed throughout the cavern. They quickened their pace and came to the spot where the others had fallen.

The water was cold. The briskness causing Napoleon to gasp as he surfaced.  
He saw Andrew briefly before the man dove back under. Illya was no where in sight. Solo prepared to dive when Andrew came up towing Illya. They made it to the edge and Andrew pumped Illya's chest forcing to cough up the water he had swallowed. Suddenly a shot rang out and hit the wall above Napoleon's head. He ducked, covering Illya. Andrew rolled away and came up crouching and ran as fast as he could trying to keep the shooter's attention on him. Napoleon pulled Illya closer to and along the wall until he reached a pile of rubble they took cover behind.

A second shot rang out and the shooter fell from above into the pool, dead.  
Andrew came back and they looked to see who had shot the T.H.R.U.S.H  
man. Up above, looking over the precipice was King Jim and Alexander Waverly.  
Waverly gave a small salute and called down, "Gentlemen do be so kind as to stay put. I really don't want to wander around here more than necessary."

Two hours later, Napoleon found himself back in medical again sharing a room with his partner who was napping. Their wounds had been tended to and if they behaved themselves-especially Illya- they would be released in 48 hours.; Napoleon had sustained a serious concussion which had caused temporary amnesia and Illya's gun shot had nicked an artery which the doctors had taken care of and was now being treated with antibiotics. All in all they had been lucky.  
The microfilm had all the information they had hoped for and more. Bennett and his men had been captured and interrogated. All that was left was the report to be written up.

Napoleon looked over at his partner and checked if he was still sleeping. Satisfied the Russian was out he slowly rolled the table the nurses had brought him so he could do his paper work. He pushed it as far as he could then gave it a last hard nudge. It rolled over to Illya's bed stopping just shy of the bed rail. Suddenly it rolled back with a swish and Napoleon was looking at cool blue eyes.  
He tried his charming smile and the eyes narrowed. The table came back to where it had been and Illya turned away from Napoleon with a smile.

Four months later.

Illya and Napoleon were just finishing up for the day when their office door slid open and Mr. Waverly entered.  
"Hello gentlemen. Finishing last weeks paperwork?" He laughed and shook his head. "I thought you would like to meet our newest member of the team." He stepped aside and Andrew filled the doorway. Napoleon and Illya both got up and rushed to congratulate him. There was back slapping and handshakes all around. Andrew told them he had chosen to work in medical but would also be a personal body guard for Mr. Waverly during special assignments. He thanked them for helping him turn things around and get his life back on track.

Finally they asked about King Jim. He had been offered the same chance as Andrew but had chosen to stay where he was. He liked doing what he was doing; helping other less fortunates and helping keep things peaceful. And if he ever got bored, he knew a guy that worked long hours who could sometimes need an extra hand That was good enough for him. But he was thankful for the special food donations that had mysteriously begun arriving twice a week and the blankets and sleeping bags that had appeared one day. 

...


End file.
